One week and counting....

As of yesterday I have been in Ghana for exactly one week. As seen by my last post it has had it's challenges  but it has also had some good times. I know these challenges are what I came here for and that I just have to work through them and in no time I'll never want to leave. I only get really homesick when I'm bored so I'm trying to keep myself busy but on days like today when everyone rests it can be challenging. I've started a new motto for me to live by while I'm here, don't think of what you're missing, think of what you're gaining. I'm not huge on the inspirational quotes but I feel like telling myself this will help me get through the times when I just want some cheese, or to watch the badgers, or go to the terrace.

Here are some updates:

Housing: Like I said before, I'm still trying to figure out how many people I actually live with because it seems to change depending on the day but on average there are about 10 people staying with us at any given time. There is a girls room, a guys room, the parents' rooms, and my room. Here's a pic of my room:

We also have a living room with one area by the tv and the other as a sitting area.

Then we have a big kitchen and one and a half bath...

And there is an area behind the house where some of the food is prepared in bigger pots and where you wash your clothes by hand (which I did for the first time today which is why my fingers are a bit raw):

We have electricity and running water like many homes here but there are certain times that they will just go out. For example yesterday morning when I woke up the electricity was out but in the afternoon when I came back it was on again. We also have internet and tv and a fridge and freezer, so it's really not that much different than living in America except that you can't always depend on the electricity and you can't drink the tap water.

Yesterday my program took us on a tour of the capital city Accra and some of it's neighborhoods. We stopped at the Kwame Nkrumah memorial (he was the first president of Ghana after independence from the British) and a few other places. It was nice getting to see areas outside of Legon. We then had a welcome dinner at the restaurant Chez Afrique with all of our students which was fun since it was my first night out after dark here.

The weather here has been pretty cool because we are still in the rainy season. It is usually overcast with a good breeze but each day gets a little sunnier and a little warmer. They told us that by November it will start getting really hot. Luckily from November 17-December 17 is just finals so we only have to go to school for the finals...thank goodness!

Today has been one of the best if not the best days that I've been here, I'm going to bed without a tinge of regret for coming here which is a nice change. We finally celebrated by host sister's birthday since we couldn't when I was sick so we had family over, dancing, and ice cream! I also went to the mall and got some basics like cereal and tp (there usually isn't any toilet paper to be found in any bathrooms here) and granola bars to take to school with me tomorrow. I'm excited to start classes and I'm hoping that they don't get cancelled (many people don't go the first week). My schedule isn't set because we were told to visit different classes this week before deciding just in case we don't like it or can't understand the professor so I'm going to four poli sci classes in addition to my Twi language class and developmental studies classes and my internship doesn't start for another week or so.

I know some of you may have questions for me that may help prompt more blog posts so I know what to write about so if you would like you can leave any questions in the comment section after each post or just email me and I'll try to make sure I can include an answer in my next post!